PATHOLOGY. 
people, at lead as far as it regards the great mafs of the 
public in every country. Nor has this delufion been 
confined merely to the carelefs and indifferent obferver ; 
even thofe whom their abilities might have been ex¬ 
pected to have exempted them from the errors of common 
minds, feem but too often to have thought, that infor¬ 
mation on difficult and complicated fubjeCts might be 
acquired, as it were, intuitively; and that mechanical 
unobferving experience might fupply the defeat of early 
and well-grounded inftruCtion. It needs but little either 
of intellect or inquiry, to fee at once the fallacy and ab- 
furdity of fuch an idea. 
We are aware that at the prefent period, in this 
country, a confiderable portion of the male practitioners 
in midwifery, are individuals whofe compulfory profeffional 
education may be fairly fuppofed to render them ade¬ 
quate to the performance of the duties they undertake; 
but it is notorious that fuch is not the cafe with the fe¬ 
males, on whofe care and (kill the lives or the future 
comfort of women in the lower claffes of life, and in re¬ 
mote parts of the country, are fo completely dependent. 
Nor can it be unknown, that in every part of the king¬ 
dom, even in the metropolis, no fecurity exifts againft 
the ignorance of thofe who may choofe to enter upon the 
praCtice of this molt important branch of the healing art; 
that an acquaintance with, or courfe of inllruCiion in, 
its principles, forms no part of the qualifications required 
by the three corporate bodies, whofe members and li¬ 
centiates form the greater part of private practitioners in 
England. Nay, on the contrary, at leaft two of thefe 
are more difpofed to difcourage than to countenance the 
extenfion of this divifion of practice amongtheir members. 
After an attentive confideration of the difficulties and 
the inconveniences we have alluded to, it furely requires 
no argument to convince every uninterelted individual, 
whether profeffional or othervvife, of the neceffity for 
fame regulation of this branch of the profeffion, and of 
the important advantages which would accrue to the 
public from the organization of a clafs oifemale practi¬ 
tioners, well qualified for the performance of the duties 
they are intended to difcharge. To the inftitution of 
fuch a clafs in this country, we can fee no well-founded 
or difinterefted objection ; and it mult be allowed that 
nothing feems better adapted to attain the objeft in view 
than the fyftem which has received fo ample a trial in 
France, and of which we have given an account. Of 
this at leaft we feel convinced, that a trial only is re¬ 
quired to exhibit its excellence, and enfure its adoption. 
Should fuch a plan be ever put in execution, it would 
doubtlefs be moil advantageous to combine its employ¬ 
ment, as has been done in France, with the internal ma¬ 
nagement of the lying-in inftitutions already in exiftence, 
efpecially in the metropolis. But here we mull check 
ourfelves, as it muft be confeffed, that it is much more 
eafy to proclaim the exiftence of defeCts than to apply 
appropriate remedies, and as it is far from being our in¬ 
tention to affume.a talk that we hope to fee in more com¬ 
petent hands. 
Greece and Turkey. —In turning to the confidera¬ 
tion of Greece, the land of heroifm and claffic recollec¬ 
tions, we find that 3000 years have glided over without 
any improvement in medicine beyond the practice of the 
Father of Medicine. Indeed in many inftances we might 
almoft wiffi that the practice of Hippocrates only was 
followed, without variation or improvement ; but the phy- 
iicians of Greece and of Turkey are much occupied in 
difcuffing the theories of Brown or of Boerhaave ; and, 
though occafionally a flaffi of ancient fire and of the true 
philofophy of the priftine Hellenian has animated the 
Greeks, yet the major part are contented with thefe 
vain and fruitlefs enquiries. This ftate will not probably 
laft long : the defpotic government of the Turks may be 
confidered as the caufe of the long fupinenefs of the 
Greeks; and, whether the ftruggle for their indepen¬ 
dence be l'uccefsful or not, a fpirit of emulation and en¬ 
75 
quiry exifts at prefent in that nation, which cannot fail 
of producing much advantage to philofophy. 
Of the mode of vifiting and treating patients in Turkey, 
an amuling account is given by Dr. Neale, late phyfician 
to the Britifh embaffy at Conftantinople. 
After adverting to the belief of the Turks in predefti- 
nation, Dr. N. proceeds thus. “ Still, fatalifm and 
apathy have their limits; and the proud infidel, in the 
hour of ficknefs, does not difdain to invoke the affiftance 
of the Giaour to delay the approach of death. Of this I 
had a memorable inftance within a few days after my 
arrival at Terapia, when, very unexpectedly, I received 
a meffage from the emperor Selim the Third, to vifit his 
mother the fultana Valide. Mr. Pifani, the fenior dra¬ 
goman (interpreter), was the bearer of this requeft; and 
the following morning I fet off by water for the feraglio, 
accompanied by one of the junior dragomans. We were 
put affiore at a quay near Baktchi Capouffi, where we 
found a boftanji in waiting, to conduit us to the houfe 
of the principal court-phyfician, who lived in a narrow 
ftreet adjoining the wall of the feraglio. On arriving 
there, we were informed that he had already gone to fee 
his patient, having left inftruCtions that we ftiould follow 
him, which w'e did, entering the gardens by the little 
white gate near the chapel of St. Irene. We palled a 
guard-houfe of boftanjies on our left, and then proceeded 
under an avenue of lofty cyprefs-trees, towards a fecond 
guard-houfe, whence we were conduced to a detached 
pavilion, in which wefound theHekitn Balha, or Turkilh 
phyfician, Mahmoud Eft’endi; a Greek phyfician, named 
Polychronon ; the Kiflar Agaffi, a hideous Ethiopian, 
the chief of the black eunuchs; the Hazni Vekili, alio a 
black eunuch, keeper of the privy purfe; and fome der- 
vifes and muftis. After being introduced, and going 
through the ufual routine of pipes, coffee, Iherbet, and 
fweetmeats, Polychronon, converfing in Latin, entered 
into a detailed ftatement of the malady with which the 
fultana was afflicted, namely, an inveterate quartan ague, 
of upwards of eighteen months’ ftanding. From this ffie 
had recovered more than once ; but had relapfed as often, 
owing, in part, to her own want of due caution, and to 
the officious interference of a fet of muftis who befet her, 
and forced upon her large draughts of iced water, in 
which they immerfed talifmans, alluring her that they 
would eftablilh her convalefcence ; but, on die contrary', 
thefe draughts invariably brought back the cold fits of 
her ague. Upon the laft relapfe, fome days before I faw 
her, Hie had, during the cold paroxyfm, been fuddenly 
bereft, in her lower extremities, of all power of motion 
and fenfe cf feeling; and it was upon this point, and 
fome others alfo, that my opinion was requefted. Indeed 
I w'as to decide, as I found, between three of her phy- 
ficians who called themfelves Boerhaavianx, and four 
others who profefled themfelves firiCt Brownonians, as to 
the expediency of preferibing a cathartic medicine; the 
former preffing the abfolute neceffity of fuch a remedy 
after five days’ conftipation, and the latter moft fooliftiiy 
declaring it to be perfectly inadmiffible, according to their 
interpretation of the doCtrine of Brown. This being 
premifed, we all accompanied the Kiflar Agaffi to an 
adjoining kiolk, in which was the fultana. After ex¬ 
changing my fhoes at the door fora pair of yellow flip¬ 
pers, we entered the royal apartments. On a mattreis, 
in the middle of the floor, was extended a figure covered 
with a filk quilting, richly embroidered. A female 
figure veiled was kneeling at the fide of her pillows, with 
her back towards the door of entrance ; and the Kiflar 
Agaffi beckoned to me to kneel down by her fide, and 
examine the pulfeof the fultana. Having complied with 
this requeft, I expreffed a wiflnto fee her tongue and 
countenance; but that I was given to underhand could 
not be permitted, as I muft obtain that information from 
the report of the chief phyfician. The moft profound 
filence was obferved in the apartment, the eunuchs and 
phyficians converfing only by figns. The Hazni Vekili 
then 
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